


Sleight of Hands

by window_to_the_soul



Series: Mating Season [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Season, SO MUCH FLUFF, as is everything, incorrect police procedure, it's Kristin's fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2020-10-09 04:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20490677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/window_to_the_soul/pseuds/window_to_the_soul
Summary: There was a correct way of doing things, and letting a known thief go was not part of it.





	1. Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KristinStone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristinStone/gifts).

> I am blaming this on a vicious plot bunny that attacked me after having written "Birds of a Feather". So, I'm blaming this on KristinStone, because most of the stuff I write is anyway in this sandbox anyway.

She couldn’t believe it. There was a way to do things, a proper way to do them, mating season or not. Her chief just shook his head.

“Mr. Bertram made it absolutely clear that he won’t press any charges,” he repeated. The taller beta looked slightly bewildered at the prospect, too. The thief would have been convicted. They had evidence. Video images! Sandra just couldn’t believe someone would opt to ignore they’d had part of their nest stolen. Stolen. Stolen! 

“But…” Chief Wilson shook his head and put a heavy hand on her shoulder.

“Look, officer,” he said softly. “Let Mr. Pierce go. There’s nothing we can do.” Sandra took a step back, letting the comforting gesture fall flat.

“We have evidence,” she protested weakly. “We can’t let Pierce go! He stole the damned golden egg thingy! It’s worth over 200 dollars!” Wilson pushed her gently in the direction of the holding cells.

“Alphas,” he said, shaking his head. “We can never understand them.” There was at least one thing she and Chief Wilson agreed on.

“Mr. Bertram said his mate found the Fabergé egg hideous… and he would have had to throw it out anyway.” Sandra snorted.

“That doesn’t make stealing it right,” she sighed. “Can’t we at least fine him or anything?” Chief Wilson picked at his fingernails, avoiding to look at her, which was really all the answer she needed. “You know what?” Sandra snapped, “fine. Fine. I’ll let him go this time. But Pierce is notorious. We’ll regret not putting him away for good. Just let it be clear that I told you this.” 

“Duly noted. Now let him go, before I decide that not even mating season is a good enough excuse for you to be this irritable,” Chief Wilson said, and Sandra, knowing when she was about to push too much, stomped away.

It was just so unfair. Apparently, Alphas could get away with anything during mating season. Stealing! And something expensive as well. She had to admit the egg thing looked hideous, and would have probably clashed something fierce with Bertram’s nesting technique. But still. And Pierce had looked so stupidly smug about it! She wanted to really, really toss the ugly thing against a wall, but it cost more than she ever felt free to spend on anything. The cherry on top of this whole mountain of shit was the fact that Mr. Bertram had decided to gift the thing to the thief. Gift it! Her shoes clanked loudly on the metal stairs down the precinct to the holding cells. Very loudly. The other officers she saw on the way made space when she approached. Her face must have looked murderous – mostly because Sandra did feel ready to murder someone.

Mating season. The stupidest time of the year. The most exhausting, too. While nurses and doctors just had to pick up Alphas who had overdone displaying from the streets, she got to stand between two idiots in dance-offs that could end in deaths. Or worse. Alphas fighting over stupid colourful bits of cloth in a supermarket. Over pillows. Over expensive watches. The holding cells were packed. As she unlocked the first door to the long corridor, she could smell the Alphas down there. The scent was overpowering with so many of them in one place, and only Sandra’s iron self-control kept her from begging them to display for her. Some of them did anyway, and it made goose bumps rise across her skin. Some of those guys had tried to beat each other senseless, and they still would have if they hadn’t been restrained. Even though she didn’t spare one single glance at any of them. It was… wrong on so many levels. Sandra was suddenly really glad that she had put Pierce in only the third cell down the row.

“Officer Sandra Gentle.” She could hear Pierce’s stupidly smooth voice. It grated on her nerves. How could he still be so suave? So calm? Most Alphas in the holding cells were barely restraining themselves, while Pierce, as she walked to his cell, only looked mildly inconvenienced. “Did you miss me?”

“Shut up,” she hissed, and a smile that she immediately wanted to polish off his face with her fist bloomed on his lips. Smug, self-satisfied, like the cat that got the cream. Only the cream was an ugly-ass egg with golden lines around it and the cat was a dipshit. “You’re free to go.” The words were painful and tasted sour. This guy was a thief. A bad guy. One of those that she wanted to put away for good. Someone who felt entitled to other people’s property simply because he was sneakier and apparently better than any alarm system yet devised. 

“Oh? What gives?” he asked. He didn’t even have the decency to look surprised. She wanted to hit him so, so bad. 

“Mr. Bertram declined to press charges,” she managed to grit out between clenched teeth. “And…” She swallowed the rising bile, “and he wanted to give you this.” The keys clanked as the door opened.  
Sandra swallowed. She would have to go close to this piece of human shit and undo the braces around his arms and legs that held him in place. They were necessary so the Alphas didn’t try to out-display each other in the holding cells and subsequently going unconscious from the effort with nothing to show for it. She didn’t want to go near Pierce. Not at all. Not with the way his grey eyes sparkled with superiority. Not with the way he looked so relaxed. It made something unpleasant clench in her gut. 

“Shouldn’t you help me out here? I can’t exactly undo these by myself.” The braces clanked when Pierce carefully moved his arms. Sandra snorted.

“If it was up to me, you’d be rotting in here forever, so don’t push me,” she hissed, taking a step closer. 

“But it isn’t up to you,” Pierce replied, grin showing his perfectly white teeth. “I just bet you would love to see me in shackles, hmm, officer?” He leered at the area of her chest, making heat rise to her face.  
Sandra felt mortified: he wasn’t even being too disrespectful; she’d had to endure much worse from scum. 

“If I had you in shackles,” she replied, forcing her hands to not shake as she undid his arms that he held out helpfully, “you’d definitely not be having any fun.” It was a lame retort. His scent was distracting. And the fact that even though she despised him, despised how he could just get away with things that went against the very law, despite it all, her biology still reacted to his. 

“Is that the best you could come up with?” He sounded strained, suddenly, and with a frown, Sandra looked up from where she’d knelt down. 

“Shut up,” she said, simply, focusing on undoing the metal rings around his legs so he could move again. And leave, hopefully. Soon. When she was done, she hastily took a step back. Pierce didn’t rise. 

“What, you wanna stay in here? I’m not waiting much longer,” she said, turning around – and froze. Pierce’s eyes were wide. Shocked. He looked like something had caught him so completely by surprise that he lost his cool. “What?” she repeated.

“Gnnngh,” Pierce said. Sandra gritted her teeth. 

“If you start displaying,” she warned, voice cold as ice, “I will shoot you in your balls. Twice, for good measure. Catch.” She threw the egg at him, startling Pierce from his weird trance-like stillness. He breezed past her, suddenly, without warning, his arm grazing her chest. Sandra swallowed. 

“See ya,” Pierce said, waving with the egg, and took the steps two at a time. As if he was running away. Huh. 

~

The rest of her day passed in a haze. Sandra was angry, and when she was angry, she did paperwork. It may have been a strange way of coping, but her co-workers seemed to like the help, and the repetitive motions – filling in gaps in reports, assigning cases, researching names and dates and figuring out where the evidence was – it calmed her. She went through most of her backlog before she noticed that her shift had been over ten minutes ago. With a deep, deep sigh, Sandra got up and stretched her arms. Outside, street lights glittered in soft rain, and the cars running by crawled with barely any movement with the rush hour traffic. Sandra shook her head. Losing so much time… it felt weird, but then again, getting lost in work wasn’t really a problem, was it? 

“Night, Chief!” she called out when she picked up her jacket and saw the older, dark-skinned man still sitting inside his glass cage of an office. He looked up from his screen, waving back lazily. Sandra left the precinct, opening an umbrella and hearing the droplets patter against the yellow cloth. Her shoes would be ruined by the time she’d walked home, but there was no helping it now. She carefully avoided stepping into the puddles on the cobbled sidewalk, ignoring the few other humans she passed. At least this evening would be mostly calm. No Alpha in their right mind displayed in the soaking rain past eight p.m. on a Tuesday evening. Hopefully. The silence, the loneliness, felt nice. The air smelled of exhaust fumes, wet asphalt and the cooling heat of the afternoon, and with the rhythm of the rain on car roofs and the stony ground, she could pretend there was nobody else that mattered. No annoying thieves, no Alphas with strange ideas about who it was appropriate to display for. She didn’t have to pretend to be interested. She didn’t have to think about anything at all. 

Her home was in an apartment complex in South Marrington. It wasn’t a bad neighbourhood exactly, but the people often didn’t have a lot of money. She had grown up here, and though Sandra could have probably afforded at least something a little less dingy, she liked the comfort. The people who lived her knew her. They knew that if something went wrong, they’d have to face a very angry, very determined police officer with a black belt in Taek Won Do and no qualms to beat them into submission. Even the two homeless guys who haunted the corner of her apartment building knew better than to start trouble. She greeted another Omega home late from work, smiling softly at Lily’s exhausted face.

“Bad day?” she asked as they entered the elevator at the same time. Lily, pale-faced, gaunt, and taller than life, but now with drooping shoulders, nodded.

“Yeah. There was this really annoying customer… you wouldn’t believe what some Alphas do during mating season.” Sandra laughed without humour.

“No kidding,” she said. “How’s the kids?” Lily shrugged. 

“Des decided to traumatize his kindergarten teacher by improvising a mating dance.” There was a fond smile on the other woman’s face. “And Micah… well, he’s still as shy as ever. How about you? Any interesting policemen in your life, San?” 

“Ugh,” Sandra sighed, leaning against the wall of the small cabin. “It’s mating season, Lily. Even if I wanted, I wouldn’t take an Alpha during that time of the year.”  
Lily shrugged as the elevator dinged, stepping out and fishing her keys from her pocket. Before the doors whooshed closed, she pointed at Sandra. 

“You’re being silly, and you know it,” she chastised. “There’s lots of nice Alphas out there.” Snadra bit back a barking laugh.

“Too bad the only nice Alpha I know of is married to you!” 

“Hey!” Lily complained, grinning broadly now. “You take your greedy claws off of my Ben!” Sandra’s smile didn’t wear all the way off until the metal cabin came to a halt on her floor. She stepped out of the elevator, opening the door to her own, small living space. It smelled of stale air, and she rushed to open the windows despite the rain outside. Then, she set out to find some nice and colourful pillows to hide in.


	2. Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not how he wanted to spend his evening.

Ash threw the green gemstone in the air. The thing was absolutely hideous, but, well, that was kind of the point. He stepped out of the bus, checking the camera at the station for its tiny blinking red light, then took the stairs two at a time. Outside, the sun was setting, and the skyscrapers reflected its light orange and red and brilliantly white. Cars whooshed by as he made it to his building, not minding the short walk. The job had been a blast, way too easy and way too fun, and he hadn’t even gotten a black eye this time. Ash felt like dancing, like displaying. But this was an Alpha’s quarter; the only Omegas he’d find here were securely mated. And it just wasn’t any fun if the recipient of his attentions didn’t blush madly.

The door was unlocked. Ash stopped at the realization, turning his head up to look at the windows. Where his kitchen was, golden light painted a square into the darkened stone. He tensed. Someone was in his building. In his home. His breath came in short pants, fight or flight hammering on his instincts. Someone was in his home. Someone had somehow gotten in. Where he had built a nest, displayed his trophies. Someone had gotten in. Someone had… Ash threw the door open and ignored the doorman inside. The Beta tried to tell him something, but it didn’t matter, because someone had somehow broken into his penthouse loft and this was very much not good. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, his breath a loud rush of adrenaline in every vein. Ash took the stairs, because waiting for the elevator was just too much.

He should have waited anyway, because by floor ten, he was panting not from fear and anger, but mostly exhaustion. Still he carried on, because a break-in in his building was unheard of and he couldn’t – he couldn’t not run. He couldn’t. There was someone there, and it had to be an intruder, because there were no unmated Omegas around that he knew of. And he would know, made it a point to pay attention, and his ribs were aching. The emerald in his hand was sweaty, his fingers white from where they clutched it. Ash ran.  
Finally, after aeons had passed and his lungs felt ready to burst, after his heart long since wanted to explode from his chest, after his legs burned and his head swam, he arrived at his own doorstep. Ash fumbled with the keys, they jingled loudly in the silence of the building. He threw the door open, exploded into his home, ready to defend, ready to –  
“Hey, brother dearest. You’re early.” Ash stopped immediately. His skin crawled with unease at the overly happy, familiar tone. A head peeked from his kitchen, where, he realized, a delicious smell of cooking meat wafted into the living room. Dark hair, much like his own; and cold, blue eyes looked him up and down. “You look exhausted. Rough day?” Benjamin White grinned, showing off his even teeth. It sent shivers down Ash’s spine. His brother was never nice. It wasn’t in him – unless, of course, he was with his wife. Then, he transformed into the perfect picture of friendly, helpful Alphas that the advertisements wanted you to believe existed.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, softly. He didn’t dare raise his voice. His heart now beat for a very different reason. Benjamin was dangerous. Usually, the older man played nice, played the perfect gentleman, played at respectable. But that’s all it was: a game. A thin mask, to be ripped off when necessary. There was a reason people called him the Puppeteer. 

“Is that any way to greet your brother, who even made you dinner?” Ash looked around.

“Did you bring your mate?” he asked suspiciously. Benjamin shook his head.

“Oh, no, she’s picking up the kids from kindergarten,” Ash’s brother said, voice light. “No, I’m here to talk to you about something. Or rather, someone.”  
Ash exhaled deeply. There was still some remnants of the uneasiness of seeing one of his old Family in his new home, but he had, at least, known that this was bound to happen. Ever since he’d smelled his brother on that cop lady, he had waited for someone to come and tell him off for insulting one of theirs. He went into the kitchen, following the scent of sizzling steak and fresh vegetables. He frowned.

“I didn’t have broccoli at home, did I?” Benjamin shook his head. 

“I brought some. Figured you didn’t keep any healthy food in this place,” he said. “Dinner’s almost done. And then you can tell me what you did to Officer Gentle to annoy her so.” A smirk played on  
Benjamin’s lips. Ash shrugged. 

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know she was one of yours.” Benjamin hummed and pressed two plates in his hands. Ash set the table on autopilot. He wanted to throw his brother out. He wanted to never have to see the guy again. He wanted to do so many things, but didn’t actually do any of them. It was safer that way. When he had faced his father that fateful day to announce that no, he really didn’t want to fully join the Family, well… it had not been well-received. And when Benjamin had taken over, it had grown only slightly better. Still, he wasn’t some kind of criminal.  
Benjamin served the steak and vegetables with familiar ease, and took a place at Ash’s table as if he owned the place. Ash finally took off his coat and shoes, and went to sit opposite him. 

“So, about Officer Gentle,” Benjamin prompted. “What did you do?” Ash shook his head. 

“Nothing much,” he said. “She had to let me go when the client didn’t want to press charges. Seemed to annoy her quite a bit.” Benjamin barked out a laugh. 

“You could put it that way,” he agreed. Silence reigned as the two brothers ate.

“So… should I apologize? If she’s one of yours. I only noticed when I smelled you on her,” Ash admitted after having finished the vegetables on his plate. 

“Oh, but she isn’t.” That gave Ash pause.

“What do you mean, she isn’t? Your scent was all over her.” Benjamin shook his head. 

“She doesn’t belong to the Family. She’s legit. A Good Cop.” Ash could hear the capitals. 

“So why are you here?” Confusion rolled in Ash’s stomach. He had thought… well, if he had interfered somehow with the Family Business, then this visit would have made sense. He had expected berating, maybe an explanation. Amends to be made. Not… a nice chat with his brother. It was downright bizarre. 

“To tell you to be careful,” Benjamin said. “I like her. She helps Lily with the kids, and Sandra has the added bonus that nobody would ever suspect me. A Good Cop in the house is the best thing that ever happened.” Ash lifted an eyebrow.

“Okay?” 

“And now she’s all over the place,” Benjamin continued. “She’s intent on proving that you’re a thief and a bastard. So, either you make sure there’s absolutely no connection between us, or you come clean to her about your… work.” Ash snorted. 

“Yeah, right. As if you care about – ”

The doorbell rang. Both brothers stared at the closed door. 

“Are you expecting company?” Benjamin asked quietly. Ash shook his head. 

“I don’t.” Benjamin slowly got up, reaching for his belt. Ash really hoped he wouldn’t shoot whoever was at the door. That would be a pain in the ass to explain away. 

“Answer it.” Ash went to the speaker next to his door and pressed the button.

“Pierce?” he asked. His voice sounded hollow even to his own ears. The hairs at the end of his neck stood on end. Benjamin hadn’t moved an inch, but there was a tension to him. Danger. A tinny voice replied.

“You have to be the world’s most stupid thief. I’m coming up. Don’t you dare run, Pierce. I swear, if you try to run, I will shoot you in the balls. Twice.” 

“Officer Gentle?” He chanced a look at Benjamin and almost laughed. His brother’s face morphed from suppressed danger to one of absolute shock, then terror. 

“She can’t see me,” he hissed. Ash sighed and gestured towards the cupboard. Benjamin gritted his teeth. Oh, the indignity, Ash thought. He would tease Benjamin endlessly for hiding in a cupboard from  
an Omega cop, but it was the best hiding spot he could offer. 

“Who else would it be? Now, open the bloody door.” 

Ash forced a teasing lilt to his voice.

“Aw, you should have just said that you want to see my nest!” But he did press the button so the doorman would let her in. Benjamin scrambled for the cupboard, but not before shooting Ash a murderous  
glare. Ash shrugged. 

“You will go to jail this time,” was the last thing he heard before the door downstairs clicked open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a short one, but it was definitely necessary. Hmm... I may have to add maybe one more chapter to the planned three. We'll see.


	3. Going forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reveals are made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finished! Happy birthday, Kristin!

Sandra was only mostly hoping that Pierce wouldn’t run. Paperwork for a gun discharged was three kinds of hell, and she’d rather not be dealing with that on top of anything else. As she waited for the elevator, something almost happy curled in her stomach. Oh, but how she was looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he realized how truly and utterly screwed he was. To be stealing from a man like Bozny. And then to be seen on the fucking mayor’s security tapes, oh, but when she’d gotten her hands on the tape it felt like Christmas had come early.

She stepped into the small metal cabin, marvelling at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. It was splendid, really, the small room looked like something straight out of a romance novel, plushy carpet and arching mirror included. The handrails were made of wood, or of something that looked very much like it. Who even made elevators like that? The trip to the loft took barely even half a minute, and as she stepped onto the carpet that extended down the hall, Sandra could taste the victory on her tongue. 

And the scent of broccoli and steak. In the doorway of the sole apartment stood Pierce, leaning casually against a post, that damned infuriating smile on his lips. 

“Couldn’t stay away, could you? Did you want me to display for you after all, officer?” Sandra bared her teeth in a smile that was all malice. 

“Oh no,” she said, tapping her fingers against the bag at her hips. She was wearing full uniform. This was going to have to be done properly. Or else the idiot was going to slip away again. “Let it be known that I do not wish for you to display, Ash Pierce.” At the formal words, he drew himself up, head tilted. Something like discomfort blinked in his eyes, there and gone again in a second. 

“What are you doing here, then?” he asked. There was genuine confusion there, as if he couldn’t fathom a police officer coming to arrest him. As if he didn’t know what she was here to do. 

“You have the right to remain silent,” she said, and her lips stretched into a smile. “But I’d rather you whimper, because I have you on tape, at Bozny’s place, stealing the Duchess’ Tear, an emerald of at  
least ten thousand dollars worth.”

“Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed. Sandra blinked. She hadn’t exactly expected insults. There wasn’t even a hint of denial in his voice. “You better come in, Officer Gentle. If by the end of your visit you still want to arrest me, I promise I won’t resist.” She blinked again. This… was not going how she thought it would. At all. Sweet victory, which she had almost felt running down her throat like sweet alcohol, now left a stale aftertaste. Something was going on here. Something was wrong. 

“Are you in any danger, Mr. Pierce?” she asked, voice low, hand going to her belt. She had brought no gun, just a baton, but in a pinch, she could do about as much damage with it. Pierce barked a laugh. 

“I should hope not. Please, do come in, I was just having dinner.”

He turned his back to her, which seemed so many shades of strange, then walked back into his apartment. For a second, Sandra contemplated just calling in reinforcements. It was Mating Season, and she was about to wander into an Alpha’s place, alone. Even if Pierce had remarkable self-restraint for one. Sandra gripped her radio tighter and blindly dialled in a pre-set number. Now if she didn’t press the radio button every half an hour, a rescue team would be dispatched. 

Pierce’s home was nothing like she had expected, either. For one, the decoration was hideous. The furniture itself matched mostly, with a dark wood table under a crème lightshade, a TV in a corner and a white sofa in an L-shape behind it. The kitchen lay on the other side of the table, connected through an open screen door, and next to the door there was a huge, black wardrobe. On the table, there were two sets of plates. One had some leftover broccoli on it.

“Company?” she asked. Pierce looked at the plates on the table and winced. 

“The company left some time ago,” he said. It was not a very convincing lie. “Look, would you please sit down?” Sandra shook her head and refused to move away from the door. Something was going on here, and she would be damned if she didn’t figure it out before she brought Pierce in. 

“Who else is here?” she asked, voice sharp. Pierce sighed, a hand rubbing over his eyes.

“My brother,” he answered reluctantly. “Look, he… he’s not here anymore.” 

“You’re lying,” Sandra said. It came as a surprise to her as well, to see it so plainly on Pierce’s face. His eyes couldn’t meet hers. She took a step towards him, instinct driving her. He looked pale and exhausted. “Are you alright?” His answering laugh was hollow.

“Oh, now she asks me if I’m alright. No, I’m bloody well not alright!” Pierce’s voice rose to a shout. “Just come in and close the fucking door, Omega!”  
He fell to the floor with a rather satisfying dunk. Sandra huffed out an annoyed breath.

“Well. Don’t think I’ve ever seen him go down quite that fast ever before.” Sandra whirled around and stared. 

“Ben?” Lily’s husband winced a little at her shrill shout. What in the name of God was he doing here? Wait. “You are related to that… that man?” Nevermind that Ben had just stepped out of a wardrobe, where he had been hiding. Presumably from her. 

“Well, hello, San. Ah, I presume you’ve already met my… brother.” Ben White gestured down at Pierce. “I am sorry for him, I truly am. He’s not a bad sort, not really.” Sandra snorted.

“He’s a known thief. He stole from the mayor!” Sandra pointed at the shelves that lined the walls. “And not just from him! I know at least half of these were…gifted to him after he took them from their owners!”

“Would you please come in, San? And maybe stop yelling? I’ll explain. Or I’ll try to, anyway.” Sandra looked at Ben. She knew Ben. She had watched him change the diapers of his and Lily’s youngest son. She had helped him chop carrots once. She knew how he took his coffee. Nothing made any sense anymore. Sandra went inside, closed the door and sat down, gingerly stepping over the unconscious form of Ash Pierce. Ben seemed utterly unconcerned. 

“Ben. Since when are you and him related?” Benjamin steepled his fingers in front of his face. He had an odd look to him, more intense than she was used to. The thought of a tiger came to mind, only barely held in by manners and society. Sandra shivered. 

“Since Ash was born, all things considered.” And there was the man she knew, the smiling, gentle husband to Lily. Suddenly, that look felt fake. Sandra regretted having sat down. Her heart was beating harshly against her ribcage. Ash Pierce and Benjamin White were related. Her evening officially couldn’t get any weirder. 

“Have you put pressure on his… victims?” she asked. She didn’t want to believe that. But Lily and Ben were – connected, for want of a better word. They always knew someone or something that could help.  
Ben laughed, a gentle, utterly fake thing that pearled from his tongue like thick honey. 

“God no. There’s no need, San – he doesn’t actually steal. Or rather: His crime isn’t theft, not exactly. He’s a mating scammer.” Sandra tilted her head. 

“A mating scammer?” Ben waved a hand.

“He pretends to steal things agreed on beforehand by the – the client, I suppose you’d call them.” 

“The rich Alphas? Why would anyone hire him to steal from them?” It made absolutely no sense: Alphas were fiercely proud of their stuff, and especially during mating season. To show off prettier stuff than their neighbours was pretty much the point. “And then get caught?” Sandra’s eyes grew wide. A mating scammer, Ben had said. 

“He gets caught,” she whispered, staring down at the unconscious form of Ash Pierce, “so the Alphas can look strong and capable in front of their Omega of choice.” Ben pursed his lips, and just like that, Sandra knew she was right. 

Knowing did not make her feel better. It was simply an exchange for one offense for another. She massaged her temples, closing her eyes.

“And I assume you’ve known all along.” Ben sighed.

“Obviously.”

“Does Lily know as well?” He huffed out a laugh. 

“No, of course not. I’d rather not tell her, either, San…” There was an edge to his voice, like a blade hidden in satin. Sandra had never heard Ben sound like that, and it made something inside her hurt.  
“Who are you?” she asked. Betrayal burnt heavily in her heart. She couldn’t trust Ben, not if he knew his brother was a criminal and still said nothing. It begged the question of what else he knew. Ben  
stretched out his arms. 

“Benjamin White, husband to Lily White, Sandra. I’m still the same guy you said goodbye to in the morning. Except now you know I also have a brother who, it would seem, is a bit of an idiot.”  
Sandra couldn’t help the snort that escaped her. 

“Got himself caught on camera,” she said. “And Bozny’s head of security owes me one, so he sent me the tapes. I was going to arrest him… Gods, I would have made a right fool of myself.” Ben chuckled.

“Quite,” he said. “But… Ash does really mean well.” She looked up, saw the softness in his eyes when he looked down at Pierce. Who was still lying on the floor in front of the door, because nobody called her Omega and tried to order her around. He had a sizable lump on his head. “He only takes jobs from people who need, as he says, a little push. Never for bad people, as far as I know.” Sandra shook her head.

“That doesn’t make it right. It’s still against the laws to manipulate a mating.”

“And that’s why I don’t do it.” Sandra’ knee connected with the table in an explosion of pain.

“Holy cow!” Pierce had rolled onto his back, but at the sight of her newly extended baton, he simply lifted his hands.

“What my brother dearest didn’t think to mention is this: I take a job only for pairs who already have their mating licenses turned in. For people who just need that little kick of adrenaline to push them into a proper mating frenzy. Some Alphas, believe it or not, have… performance issues during mating season. All that dancing and displaying really takes it out off a guy.”  
Sandra felt her mouth gape open. It was the singularly most horrendously stupid excuse she had ever heard.

“And of course you can’t prove any of it,” she said drily. Pierce gestured towards the sofa. 

“Go ahead, check the contracts if you want.” Sandra stared at him, long and hard, before slowly getting up.

On the sofa, there was a slew of papers. Contracts. It took her almost five minutes of blinking through legalese and technical terms, and by the end of it, she felt more embarrassed than annoyed.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked. Pierce shot her a wide, toothy grin.

“And miss your pissed-off face when I get to leave your pretty cells again? Not a chance.” Opposite her, Benjamin cleared his throat.

“Now that that is off the table, I will take my leave. It was nice seeing you, Sandra. Try not to give my brother permanent brain damage, please.” Sandra stared at him.

“You’re just going to leave.” He smiled at her, his wrinkles more pronounced.

“I promised Micah to read ‘Where is my Cow?’ to him tonight, you know how it is.”

Sandra watched Benjamin leave, unable to say or do anything. It felt like everything she had once known had turned upside down. Pierce wasn’t a criminal. Her best friend’s husband, on the other hand, whom she had known for more than ten years, however, might be, and was definitely more dangerous than he let on. She closed her eyes. 

“Oh God,” she whispered. Here she was, sitting in full uniform, with a security tape in her bag. Sitting at the table of a man she had just hit very hard indeed with a baton. “There will be so much paperwork.”

Pierce smiled at her. 

“I promise not to press charges,” he said. Sandra dared to peek at him. “If,” he said, and she though oh, here it comes, “if you’ll let me show off my nest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy ever after? Or a recipe for desaster? Who knows? But this feels like a good place to end the story. Might write some more about Sandra and Ash, but hey... probably not before Christmas.


End file.
